Sep 6, 2010
Volleyball Player of the Week
Tabitha Henken ~ Point Loma Nazarene
Junior ~ 6-2 ~ Outside Hitter ~ Carlsbad, Calif.
Junior outside hitter Tabitha Henken recorded 82 kills (5.86 k/g) with a .441 hitting percentage, 36 digs (2.57 d/g), 7 assist blocks and 4 aces as Point Loma Nazarene won all 4 of its matches at the Asics/Crowne Plaza Labor Day Tournament. In a sweep of NCAA Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills, she had 15 kills without any errors and 11 digs. In a 3-0 win against Montana Tech, Henken averaged 7 kills per game without any errors and had 3 aces. In a 5-game win over No. 25-ranked Carroll, she had 24 kills and 10 digs. Henken was named the NAIA Volleyball Player of the Week.

The fall sports of men’s & women’s cross country, men’s & women’s soccer and volleyball are underway. Several GSAC teams have competed in games and tournaments already. To see the master schedules and results for GSAC teams, use the sports links on the left and click Schedule. Once there, you may narrow down the list by team and/or by date by making selections in the pull-down menus and then clicking Change Dates.

The GSAC had 52 total teams, representing all 13 conference sports, that qualified as NAIA Scholar Teams for the 2009-10 school year. To qualify for this honor, a team must have a 3.0 grade point average, which includes all varsity athletes that are eligible for that sport. For the complete story, go to www.naia.org. To see which GSAC teams qualified, go to Awards Search on the left OR click on the link for each sport on the left and then click Awards.

The 2009-10 season was another banner year for the Golden State Athletic Conference, as seen in the final standings of the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, which recognizes the best overall athletic programs in the NCAA and NAIA based on showings in national championship tournaments and meets. Azusa Pacific received the NAIA’s top award for a record-breaking sixth year in a row and was joined by Fresno Pacific, Concordia, and California Baptist in the top 7. The GSAC had 7 teams in the top 18 and a total of 9 conference teams made the rankings, all finishing in the top 100. The GSAC won 3 NAIA Championships during the year, bringing the total to 36 national titles since the conference began in 1986. National Coach of the Year and NAIA Player of the Year awards were given to 4 GSAC coaches and 4 GSAC athletes. Bryan Wilkins (right), the Vanguard cross country and track & field coach, was named the 2010 recipient of the NAIA Coach of Character Award. To see complete award lists for each sport, use the sports links on the left, and then click

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